June 2019
18 ArticlesNo Section
Porphyrias: A clinically based approach
Porphyrias are a group of metabolic diseases, individually rare but with an important combined prevalence. Because of their pathological complexity and clinical heterogeneity, they present a... more
Patients with acute pulmonary embolism at intermediate risk for death: Can we further stratify?
International Scientific Societies (European Society of Cardiology, American Heart Association, American College of Chest Physician) recommend stratification for the risk of short-term death to drive... more
Does my patient really need this at admission? Seven opportunities for improving value in patient care during their hospitalization
Besides the main treatment for their disease, hospital patients receive multiple care measures which include venous lines (VL), urinary catheters (UC), dietary restrictions (DR), mandatory bed rest (... more
An update on IgG4-related lung disease
IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by substantial infiltration of plasma cells with IgG4 in target organs. Lung manifestations predominantly present as... more
Outcomes in acute medicine - Evidence from extended observations on readmissions, hospital length of stay and mortality outcomes
The Acute Medical Admission Unit (AMAU) model of care has been widely deployed, we examine changes in hospital readmission rates, length of stay (LOS) and 30-day in-hospital mortality over 16 years.
Internal Medicine Flashcard
White islands in a sea of red: A tropical rash
A 32-year-old male from the Philippines presented with a three-day history of high-grade fever (Tmax 39.8C) refractory to acetaminophen and NSAIDs. It was accompanied by headache, anorexia, and... more
An atypical cause of dyspnea
A 53-year old woman was admitted to hospital with a six-month history of cough and dyspnea, weight loss and left abdominal and lumbar pain. Inspiratory crackles were diffusely heard during physical... more
Letter to the Editor
Skin autofluorescence as a tool for cardiovascular risk estimation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity [1,2]. Most studies among RA patients were performed in an era in which RA could only be suboptimally... more
Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation in pneumonia outside ICU. Can it be definitely justified?
We have read with great interest the manuscript “Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation in pneumonia outside Intensive care Unit. An Italian multicenter observational study” by AM Brambilla et al... more
Narrative Review
Paraneoplastic movement disorders: phenomenology, diagnosis, and treatment
Paraneoplastic syndromes include, by definition, any symptomatic and non-metastatic condition associated with a neoplasm. Paraneoplastic movement disorders are a heterogeneous group of syndromes... more
Original Article
Lung ultrasonography in pulmonary tuberculosis: A pilot study on diagnostic accuracy in a high-risk population
The validity of lung ultrasound (LUS) in the diagnosis of interstitial or focal lung pathologies is well documented, we assessed its accuracy in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).
Increased risk of venous thromboembolism among patients with hyperthyroidism: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies
Studies have suggested that patients with hyperthyroidism may have a higher risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared to individuals with normal thyroid function, although the data is quite... more
Short-term effects of direct-acting antiviral agents on inflammation and gut microbiota in hepatitis C-infected patients
Liver damage is associated with gut dysbiosis. New direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) are able to eradicate hepatitis C virus (HCV) from the body. However, the short and medium-term effects of... more
Vedolizumab is effective and safe in real-life treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases outpatients: A multicenter, observational study in primary inflammatory bowel disease centers
Italian data currently available in managing ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) patients with vedolizumab (VDZ) are coming just from secondary and tertiary centers. The present study... more
Cardiac autonomic modulation at rest and during orthostatic stress among different systemic sclerosis subsets
To compare autonomic heart rate variability (HRV) parameters at rest and during active stand in a population of SSc patients, taking into account SSc subsets age-matched to healthy control subjects.
ST-elevation myocardial infarction in a real world population - An observational retrospective study with a sex perspective
Mortality after myocardial infarction is higher in women than in men. Data on the association between sex and mortality are conflicting and inconclusive. We evaluated whether there is a sex... more
External validation of the CACE-HF risk score for mortality in patients with heart failure
To validate externally the CACE-HF clinical prediction rule, which predicts 1-year mortality in patients with heart failure (HF).
Special Article
JAK inhibitors in 2019, synthetic review in 10 points
JAK inhibitors are recent treatments. Many publications have appeared in recent years, exposing treatment efficiencies in phases 2 and 3 studies, or their tolerance profile in various rheumatological... more